Kraków to Jakubowizna in the snow

More tips for travel in Poland during adverse weather conditions.

I was woken up at half past four this morning by the sound of a small diesel engine being revved up repeatedly outside my hotel. Through my sleep, I thought at first that some motorist has got stuck in a snow drift. But the noise went for on minute after minute. I leapt out of bed, irritated. Opening the curtains, I saw a wee golf cart thingy with a snow plough attached to the front. It was clearing snow from outside the building (a small shopping mall with hotel on top and offices on top of that). The vehicle was too small for the task, and the driver was charging all over the place ineffectually. A second plough arrived, this time a tractor with a bigger shovel and a gritting device on the back (below). It's five to five am.

I managed to get back to sleep but was not happy. (The hotel was excellent, by the way.) I walked through the snow to the conference venue, the Kraków Technology Park, for Doing Business with the UK - aimed at Polish exporters, struggling with the monumental stupidity that is Brexit. Fortunately, there's plenty of good advice (and EU funds) on hand to help. Brexit is hurting the UK more than it's hurting the EU or Poland.

Anyway, after the event, time to get back to Jakubowizna in the snow. Retracing my steps, I caught a tram into town from across the road from the hotel. So then - transport tips. It's worth spending ten minutes or so getting acquainted with Kraków's tram system online. Here, I could see before setting off which tram to board and how to buy a ticket. The old trams do not have a digital ticketing system - cash only. I've not handled coins since before the pandemic. The first tram I boarded didn't have a modern ticket machine, so I hopped off rather than risk getting caught. The next tram did - really easy to buy the ticket - press one button for a regular ticket (4.00zł), press another button for card payment, hold your card over the readers - it's printed out - and an optional press for a paper receipt. The ticket needs to be physically validated in the punch machine (bit old fashioned). It's valid for 20 minutes, enough for me to take a 17 then an 8, but time ran out, and my last leg to Kraków Główny station (just three stops from the main post office) cost me another ticket. I reached the platform with a comfortable 15 minutes to spare.

Kraków's tram system worked well enough in the snow... Now for the train. The Orłowicz, Kraków to Olsztyn via Warka. Left on time and... arrived on time. To the minute! Only slight gripe - the automatic sliding doors between carriages opposite my seat were broken; several people passing through, opening them manually, did not think to close them manually, leaving me to get up and do it to avoid cold wind blowing into the carriage. 

The bar car was functioning perfectly - I indulged in the Wars classic schabowy z ziemniakami z wody with surówki and the excellent Korona Olbrachta jasne pełne beer from Browar Olbrachta. All for 54.40zł (just under a tenner). Fantastic service - wonderful to hear the sizzle of the schnitzel on the frying pan in the train kitchen. Wars does it right, and I applaud the company and its staff.

It is amazing that the train I took yesterday was one hour and 13 minutes late, whilst today running on the same line in the same conditions, it arrived on time. I suspect that it was not just the weather, it was the new timetable, introduced on Sunday, which might have contributed to screwing things up royally yesterday.

However, I could see that things were not going to continue smoothly. I could see on Portal Pasażera that my onward train from Warka to Chynów (a mere 13-minute journey) was running later and later... But at least now there's no uncertainly when you can see your train's position in real time on your phone. It arrived 13 minutes late, but it was there, and hanging around on the icy platform's not too bad when you walk up and down (the waiting room in Warka closes at 19:00).

So - at quarter to eight I'm back home in Jakubowizna, having left the Kraków Technology Park at quarter past two. Five and half hours of travel, not bad at all hardly a hitch unless a 13-minute delay on the last leg counts. My last business trip of 2022. Today was the year's earliest sunset. Every evening from now until 22 June will be getting brighter.

This time last year:
Frustration for the local wozidupek community

This time two years ago:
Small local milestones, Chynów station

This time three years ago:

Brexit: what next?

This time five years ago:
Kick out against change - or accept it?

This time seven years ago:
Warwick University alumni meet in Warsaw

This time eight years ago:
Pluses and minuses of PKP InterCity

This time nine years ago:
When transportation breaks down

This time 14 years ago:
Full moon closest to Earth